Best Practice for Sharepoint Configuration

Steve Smith (MVP):

Owner Combined Knowledge

[email protected]

Twitter stevesmithck

UK Sharepoint User Group

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Link/Upload of slide deck to follow...

Agenda:

Sharepoint Terminolgy

Dont we just put the CD in the server

Its not just about Sharepoint

SQL Config Demo

Best Practice Summary

Resources

Sharepoint Logical Terminology

Sharepoint Farm:

Shared -------------------------

Services | Web Apps

| ----------------------

| | Site Collections

| |

| | [sITE A] [sITE B]

Associate Web Apps (IIS Web Sites) to Shared Services

Site Collections are the first level of management. See later blog.... Andrew Woodward

Sites are where the Collabs take place...

Management and config at the Farm/SSP/Web apps affect everything down the road.

Dont we just put the CD in...

Installing the binaries is the easy part. Consider the factors:

::Location of files (eg Index file/Seach DB)

Default install goes to C:\Prog Files....

These files grow massively.... configure for a specific location. You can sort this later, but best to do it at the start.

:: Type of Install

Always use Complete (unless for demo). Use front ends for dedicated web apps hosting. You cannot turn on the services after if you choose WFE.

:: Consider how you access management sites.Assign SSL to Central Admin and SSP. Whitepaper to follow.

Use Kerberos for Authentication

:: Use PSConfig commandline for total command, of config params. Located in Common Files\Web Server Extensions. Good recovery tool too....

:: Service Accounts

Minimum 4

Should not be admins

Least privs.

Hard to do... depends on environment.

Separate accounts for:

:: Central Admin

:: Search

:: SSP

:: Collaberation Sites

Whitepaper on Technet (LINK)

SQL permissions is the one to watch....

Planning your Database

Remember all your data is stored in SQL DB

Plan your storage:

-How many content DBs

-Quotas

-Site collection to db mapping, allowing for growth

-Create in SQL then define in SP.

Plan for recovery, not just storage.

Plan for Concurrent user load:

-Reuqest per second

-Page load

-Load balancing

-Number of NICs

-IIS load times... asp.net queue on front end.

-IIS is the bottleneck not SQL

Plan for AD:

-Service Accounts

-Location of DC

-Kerberos

Understand IIS

-Performance

-Troubleshooting

64 Bit Hardware

-OS (and version)

-Sharepoint

-SQL

-No. Servers

SQL DB Mapping

HR DB Project DB

V V

[site Coll] [site Coll]

V V

[Quota] [Quota]

50GB 30GB

75GB is really a maximum.... DB gets fragmented. Remember to run your maintenance tasks in SQL Man. Studio.

Best practice for SQL DBs Demo

DB Names.... MOSS_name

New DB....

-Initial Size, autogrowth (size each time), and also max file size. Doubles for the SP Quota-ing...

Set DB owner (ie. the WebApplication owner service account). That account now doesnt need SQL Create DB rights.

Summary:

-Index File location

-Data Growth

-Maximise data throughput (i.e. correct disk hardware, versions of OS/SQL/SP)

-Pre-create DBs where poss

-Consider how you will do restores

-Kerberos (for performance and security)

-Use FQDNS for Web Apps

-Plan Service Account

-Plan Search DB and Location

-Install SP as Farm Admin

-Get to know PSConfig

-SSL on management sites

-Shared Services on Port 80??? look up about BDC errors....

-Dont use AD Admin accounts for Service Accs

-Training

Resources

http://www.combined-knowledge.com

-How tos and Whitepapers

-Training/Adoption Info

http://www.mindsharpblogs.com

-Useful info

http://www.sukug.uk

-Community